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Liam Henshaw

I am a data analyst and scout working in professional football. Subscribe and join over 4,000+ newsletter readers every week!

AI is changing who wins in football
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AI is changing who wins in football

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, AI just changed who wins in football careers. And it's not who you think. This week I started playing with OpenClaw (Clawdbot), check it out if you haven't already. It's mind blowing. It's also a week where I had a conversation with David Sumpter, who is professor and has co-founded an AI analytics company in Twelve. We were discussing how AI is changing the landscape for who is going to be successful in...

The traditional pathway is dead

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, There used to be one way into football recruitment and analysis. University degree in sports science or data analytics. Internship at a professional club. Junior analyst position. Work your way up. If you didn't have the right degree, you couldn't get the internship. If you couldn't afford to work unpaid for six months, you couldn't get in. If you weren't already connected to someone inside a club, you stayed...

Sunday league to professional scout

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, I've never played professional football. Sunday league was my peak. Yet I scout professionally now, and have done for years. Six years ago, I got my first proper scouting assignment at Wigan Athletic. We needed a left-back. League One level. I had a player rating model I'd built, and it flagged someone perfect. Attacking output? Excellent. Defensive solidity? The numbers looked good. Contract ending soon? Even...

The problem with football courses

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, You spend £10,000 on a football analytics masters degree or $800 on a scouting course. You complete every module. Pass the assessment. Frame the certificate. Then nothing happens. No interviews. No opportunities. Just you, your LinkedIn profile, and that shiny new certificate sitting in your downloads folder alongside 3,000 other people who did the exact same thing. The Three Paths People Take Last week I ran...

What I'd do to break into football

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, If I wanted to break Into Football Recruitment in 2026. Here are the 12 actions I'd start with. Not theory. Not someday. Starting Monday. 1. Pick One League That's Streamed Online Find a league you can watch consistently. Segunda División. USL. Gambia. Not the Premier League everyone else watches. Something accessible where you can build genuine expertise. Watch matches. Utilise YouTube and FIFA+ for fully...

Did you do what you said you would?

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, I hope you've had an amazing festive period and have been able to celebrate it with family and loved ones. We're days from 2026 and everyone talks about goals for the new year. Nobody talks about whether you actually did what you said you'd do last January. The week between Christmas and New Year is quiet. Most people are winding down. But that silence is useful. It's a chance to look back honestly at the past...

You just need to do more

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, Most people post once a week, if that, then wonder why nothing happens. I get it. You're scared it's too much. You're worried about being annoying. You think quality over quantity, right? Last week I decided to test that assumption. The Experiment I doubled my LinkedIn and X posting schedule. Same quality standards, same process, just more volume. The results? Double the engagement. Double the profile views....

Build this or you won't last in football

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, Last week, I sat on a panel at an analytics event talking about breaking into football. One idea stayed with me: resistance to frustration is the key to improvement. Not motivation. Not talent. Resistance. The Two-Week Waffle Chart When I started learning to code, AI tools didn't exist. I was grinding through tutorials like everyone else, copying syntax I didn't understand, debugging errors that made no sense....

Can you afford a 20% pay cut?

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, Most people think you choose between money and meaning. That's wrong. The Pattern I Keep Seeing This year I've spoken with over 200 analysts and scouts. Same story: stuck in jobs that pay well but drain them. Want to move into football. Passionate about it. (You can book your own call with me here) Then fear hits. "I can't afford the pay cut." Here's What Actually Happens I changed careers from gambling...

The time excuse that's costing you

FOOTBALL PROGRESSION PATH Helping you create opportunities in football Hey Reader, Most people who want to break into football think they need full days to make progress. They don't. I've spoken with over 200 people trying to change careers into football. The same excuse comes up every time: "I don't have enough time." They're waiting for two full days a week. A Sunday morning with nothing else on. A free afternoon of empty hours where they can finally sit down and build that portfolio or...